Many of us pay close attention to the nutrients in the food we eat before deciding on our meal options. We know that we need a certain amount of iron, protein, calcium, and vitamin C as we age. But most of us don’t realize how much the foods we eat can impact our brain health, and […]
Making Thanksgiving Memorable with Grandchildren
Dear Kiwi and Mango, Happy Thanksgiving! My grandmother is joining us for dinner this year, as she does every year, but this year is different. She was diagnosed with dementia and it’s gotten progressively worse. I’d really like for her and my children to make some happy memories together. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks […]
Wine, Women, and Dementia Offers a Window into the Lives of Dementia Caregivers
“Nobody wants to be a dementia caregiver when they grow up,” says Kitty Norton in her new feature length documentary, Wine, Women, and Dementia, airing now on PBS. Many of us are thrust into the role of dementia caregiver, and similar to many things, there is no road map. The film sheds light on the […]
How Does the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model Help Dementia Patients and Caregivers?
Dear Kiwi and Mango, I heard somewhere that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the GUIDE Model for people with dementia and their caregivers? What is this all about? Thanks for your help! Cara Givva — Dear Cara, People living with dementia often experience multiple chronic conditions, as well as high rates […]
Can Caring for a Loved One Be Harmful?
I met with an adult child of a client earlier this week. When the family first came to me about a year ago, the wife had late-stage Parkinson’s and the husband had been her primary caregiver for many years. The husband was clearly experiencing the stress and fatigue of caregiver burnout. He realized he could […]
New Dementia Resource for Caregivers Now Available
Dear Raider, I recently learned that my mother has dementia and she will be moving in with my family soon. I’m pretty new at this. Are there any helpful online resources available to assist with caring for a loved one with dementia? Thanks for your help! Hal Pinmom — Dear Hal, You are not alone. […]
What if It Resembles Dementia or Parkinson’s, But It’s Actually a Treatable Disorder?
Q. My 70-year-old aunt, who I am very close with, has had a rapid decline in the last few months. She started losing her memory pretty quickly over the past few months and began slurring her speech. The strangest symptoms are her hallucinations and extreme paranoia. She’s also had one episode that appeared to be […]
When Memory Loss isn’t Necessarily Dementia
Dear Raider, My husband has been experiencing memory loss and it seems to be getting worse. It is coming on pretty quickly too. I read somewhere that memory loss doesn’t always mean dementia. What are some other things that can be the culprit behind his memory loss? Thanks for your help! Nadi Mentya — Dear […]
Ten Things to Know About the New FDA Approved Alzheimer’s Drug, Kisunla (donanemab)
Pat Bishara, 79, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in late 2017. Beginning in 2021, she participated in both the phase 3 trial and the extension trial for donanemab. Along with the monthly infusion, she was also regularly evaluated by a psychologist. She had her final infusion last month. When asked about her progress, Bishara […]
“All Through the Night” Teaches Important Lessons About Alzheimer’s
“All Through the Night” is a short film starring actor Tim Daly as a father living with Alzheimer’s and Luke Slattery playing his son. Writer/director Graham Marvin, 35, wrote this film about his relationship with his own father, who at 83 is nearly 50 years older than him and suffers from memory loss. Graham’s father […]
Beware of “Forgotten Assets” When Applying for Medicaid. And Beware of Bankers Trying to be Helpful.
We received two similar questions this week and will address them both. Q1. My aunt opened a savings account at her local bank for her son (my cousin) in the late 1980’s when my cousin was in college. When she opened the account for him, the bank representative, trying to be helpful, suggested that the […]
A Screening Tool Exists that Accurately Predicts End-of-Life
Q. I read somewhere that there is a screening tool that was developed to more accurately predict someone’s risk of dying based on different factors. Do you know more about this or other screening tools that are out there and how they work? Is this too much information, or can people use this information to […]
The Top 10 Causes of Senior Driving Accidents
The population of seniors who are older than 65 has grown at a faster rate than any other age bracket, and they are continuing to drive longer than ever before. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), there were 48 million licensed drivers ages 65 and older in 2020, which is nearly 70 percent more […]
Misinformation about Medicaid in Popular Media and Journalists Getting Legal Information from Non-Lawyers
Medicaid turns 59 in July 2024! In the summer of 1965, President Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress asking that we honor a basic commitment to our seniors. He asked that the later years of their lives not be filled with “despondency and drift, or fear of financial hardship in the event of illness,” […]
Prescribing Art: Can Art Be Used to Treat Conditions Affecting Seniors?
Two years ago, I wrote a three-part series that shared the wisdom of Katya De Luisa, a dementia educator and author of “Journey through the Infinite Mind–the Science and Spirituality of Dementia.” Besides being a dementia educator, caregiver coach, and author, Katya De Luisa is an art therapist. She describes art as “a window into […]
Are You a Super-Ager?
Are you someone in your 80s or older whose memory recall seems to be as good or even better than people decades younger than you? If you are, you’re in a relatively rare category of people known as “super-agers” — people who can easily recall things from many years ago with exceptional clarity along with […]
Comparing a Certified Medicaid Planner with a Certified Elder Law Attorney
Q. My sister-in-law and my husband have recently been discussing Medicaid Planning for my husband’s mother, who is in an early stage of dementia. You and your law firm represented my parents several years ago when we needed to protect their assets and get my mom on Medicaid. Thank you again for that! My siblings […]
Can Alzheimer’s Symptoms Be Reversed? Sanjay Gupta Explains in Newest Documentary
Dear Angel, I recently read about “The Last Alzheimer’s Patient,” starring Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The documentary describes Alzheimer’s patient Cici Zerbe, who claims that her early Alzheimer’s symptoms have been reversed. This was after she participated in Dr. Dean Ornish’s clinical trial on how intensive lifestyle changes can halt the progression of early Alzheimer’s. Do […]
Is Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic?
Years of research has found that the most common gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease is a risk gene called apolipoprotein E (APOE). Recent research built upon what was already known about APOE, finding that people with two copies of the gene variant APOE4 are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s. This new information could result in […]
Speed of Speech, Rather Than Loss of Words, May Be an Early Indicator of Dementia
Years before they were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, subtle changes became apparent in the spoken and written words of public figures Ronald Reagan and Iris Murdoch. During non-scripted public speaking, the late President Reagan showed a significant reduction in the number of unique words he used and a notable increase in the use of fillers and […]
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